between them becomes that of employer and hired labor, unquote. that was general order number 3, read in galveston, texas, on june 19th, 1856, and with that, the last state to learn of abolition got the news. that general order is the reason for juneteenth celebrations across the country days after it was made a federal holiday. on thursday, president biden signed the federal designation into law. >> by making juneteenth a federal holiday, all americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance we've come. but the distance we have to travel. >> if you're not familiar with juneteenth, don't panic, we'll explain it further to you in a minute. but the bill to make it a federal holiday passed with overwhelming support. 14 republican lawmakers voted against it in the house.